Sealing station of an article wrapping machine



MaI'Ch 1967 w. -r. HANSEN ETAL 3,308,605

SEALING STATION OF AN ARTICLE WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN ENTORS' Mwzav 77 4465/? MgLm/v 4. WEFU/E/MEK THE/K ATTOJP/VE V6" March 14, 1967 w, HANSEN Em; 3,308,605

SEALING STATION OF AN ARTICLE WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I BY M United States Patent 3,308,605 SEALING STATION OF AN ARTICLE WRAPPING MACHINE Warren '1. Hansen, East Moline, and Milton A. Wertheimer, Rock Island, Ill., asslgnors to Gellman Manufacturing Co., Rock Island, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 346,506 1 Claim. (Cl. 53-379) i has been wrapped and which is to be heat-sealed during its movement across the plate, has an uneven bottom surface. For example, the bottom may have its central portion dished inwardly or it may be warped so as to result in an uneven bottom surface. In such cases, as the article is mechanically moved across the heating plate, the uneven surface of the bottom of the article does not come into contact with the heating plate, with the result that the wrapping of th article is imperfectly sealed. In cases where the article is of perishable nature, such as meat, vegetables, fruit, or the like, it is imperative that the article be effectively sealed so as to prevent early deterioration or spoilage of the perishable goods.

Our invention has for its principal object the provision of a simple arrangement for effectively and completely sealing the wrapped article, notwithstanding that the bottom surface thereof may be uneven due to warping or the like.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article wrapping machine having our invention associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Articles which are machine wrapped are generally wrapped with a heat-sensitive transparent paper. The article is wrapped mechanically by a machine such as illustrated in FIG. 1. The wrapping of the article constitutes no part of the present invention. The manner and means for wrapping the article is shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,853,841 dated Sept. 30, 1958, granted on a Wrapping and Sealing Machine. It is in such a machine that our invention is incorporated.

In FIG. 1 the article to be wrapped is indicated at and by mechanism described in the afore-mentioned patent, the heat-sensitive wrapping paper 11 is, by folding mechanism embodied in the machine, completely wrapped and delivered to a sealing station which is generally indicatedat 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Our invention relates to an improvement in the sealing station. As shown in FIG. 2, the preferred form of construction of our invention includes a heated plate 13 which is heated through the medium of heating units 14, connected in circuit with a suitable source of power (not shown). The heat from these heating units 14 is transferred to the plate 13.

3,388,685 Patented Mar. 14, 1967 The plate 13 has formed therein a substantially elongated rectangular slot 15. A shaft 16 is supported by depending bars 17 provided on the underside of the plate 13. Pivotally mounted on the shaft 16 in parallel relation with respect to each other are a plurality of independently movable heat-transferring wiper fingers 18. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, these fingers 18 are curved longitudinally and project through the slot 15 to a plane above that of the plate 13. Each finger 18 at one end portion is provided with an extension 19. To this extension 19 is connected one end portion of a tension spring 20, the other end portion of the spring being conneoted to a bar 21 secured as at 22 to the underside of the plate 13.

The opposite end portion of each finger 18 is provided with an extension 23 below the curved portion 24 of the finger 18 and adapted to engage beneath the plate 13 to limit the pivotal movement of the fingers 18 through the slot 15 by action of the springs 20. The springs 20, while functioning to maintain the fingers 18 in the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is of that degree of tension which will permit the fingers 18 to pivot downwardly under the weight of the wrapped package. The wrapped package is indicated at 25 and moves transversely of the plate 13 between opposite parallel guide wings 26 which are preferably adjus-table to accommodate packages of different widths.

The package 25, when it reaches the sealing station (which is a position upon the plate 13), has been completely wrapped, leaving only the operation of heat-sealing the package.

As the wrapped package 25 is moved across the plate 13 in the manner shown in the aforesaid patent, the bottom portion thereof intermediate its ends will contact the fingers 18. As the fingers are yieldably held in position to engage the package, the weight of the package is sufficient to cause the fingers 18 to pivot downwardly against the action of the springs 20.

The heat from the plate 13 will be transmitted to the fingers 18 so that the temperature of th fingers 18 will be substantially the same as the temperature of the plate 13. Should the bottom of the package be inwardly dishshaped or otherwise warped or uneven, the fingers, being independently movable, will be yieldably urged by the springs 20 into contact with such uneven bottom surface of the package and, notwithstanding that such uneven bottom portion of the wrapped package does not contact the plate 13, that portion of the package will nevertheless be heat-sealed by one or more of the fingers.

By this simple arrangement, a wrapped package having an uneven bottom surface will be as effectively sealed as a wrapped package which does not have such uneven bot-tom surface. By our improved sealing station, the wrapped package is completely heat sealed, thereby preventing spoilage and deterioration of the product wrapped within the package.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In combination,

(a) a heated plate across which a wrapped article is to be moved,

(b) means for heating the plate,

(c) said plate having a substantially elongated rectangular opening formed therein in the path of movement of the article across the plate,

((1) a shaft carried by the plate at the under surface thereof,

(e) a plurality of independently movable wiper fingers freely journaled on said shaft having a free end projecting through said opening in the path of movement of said Wrapped article and an opposite end beneath and beyond said shaft,

(f) said wiper fingers each being curved longitudinally in the direction of movement of said article,

(g) and spring means beneath said plate connected to said opposite end of each of said fingers independently urging ,said fingers into the path of movement of said wrapped article,

4 (h) each of said fingers including at their free end a substantially L-shaped extension engageable with the bottom side of the plate to limit the pivotal movement of each finger by its respective spring means and for conducting heat from said plate into each of said Wiper fingers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner. 

